International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

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On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts so that the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -– “no one shall be held in slavery or servitude”.-Kofi Annan. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans remains one of the most horrific and traumatizing periods in human history. The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year. The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, which operated between the fifteenth and late nineteenth centuries, involved the horrific trafficking of over 15 million women, men and children, mostly from West Africa to the Americas. This forced displacement enriched imperial and other powers. The observance of this important day is critical as it pays homage to the resilience and courage of those who were enslaved in the Americas. Interestingly, while slavery as in the transatlantic slave trade has ended, numerous forms of slavery still persist in the world and which continue to plague our societies today. Human trafficking is our modern day slavery and it is affecting vulnerable men, women, and children around the world. According to the International Labour Organization, human trafficking is approximately a $150 billion industry- the second most lucrative black market, second to only the illegal drug trade (Human Rights First, 2017). With an estimated 30.3 million adults and 10 million children being trafficked just in 2016, human trafficking demands the attention of individuals at all levels of society (International Labour Organization, 2017). Because the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans had a direct effect on our modern conceptions of race, an understanding of this period is necessary to fight its legacies, including racism and prejudice. The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is, therefore, not just about remembering the past. It is about taking action today to dismantle the structures that continue to hold back people of African descent. The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 1807. From that day on, “all manner of dealing and reading in the purchase, sale, barter, or transfer of slaves or of persons intending to be sold, transferred, used, or dealt with as slaves, practiced or carried in, at, or from any part of the coast or countries of Africa shall be abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful”. However, while the act abolished the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, it did not abolish slavery, which still continued for decades. The abolition followed powerful and sustained acts of resistance by enslaved Africans, including the Haitian revolution. The revolution in Haiti led to the establishment in 1804 of the Republic of Haiti – the first nation to become independent as a result of the struggle of enslaved women and men. Discriminatory practices, racial injustice, and many other contemporary global challenges can be traced back to historical atrocities, including the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, exploitative colonial rule on the African continent, and the brutal dehumanization of Africans and their descendants over centuries. If we are not careful we risk an entire generation growing up distancing themselves from the historical underpinnings that cements our humanity. It is therefore imperative that we tell our own history. It is for this reason that our historians must interrogate the primary data surrounding the transatlantic slave trade. It is important that Post-slavery societies engage in a broad-based approach, including social media to keep alive our rich history. On this International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition we the descendants of enslaved peoples must continue to push for reparations from those who were the architects and beneficiaries of this crime against humanity. Additionally, we must call, well demand that the teaching of history education becomes mandatory across the education system so that future generations will never forget the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. In the words of Desmond Tutu, racism, xenophobia and unfair discrimination have spawned slavery, when human beings have bought and sold and owned and branded fellow human beings as if they were so many beasts of burden. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©

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